Dispensationalism and the Doctrine of Election
Refutation of Calvinism, Arminianism, and Covenant Theology
Chapter Eight
"Now...In Christ"
Paul’s epistle to the Romans provides us four chapters of
inspired Scripture that give us great insight into the doctrine
of election. Like Ephesians chapters one through three, these
four chapters in Romans are critical to the continuation of the
revelation from God in the Old Testament books. In order to
understand what God is saying in these four chapters of the
epistle to the Romans, we must be very careful to bring the
context of what the Old Testament books teach regarding the
doctrine of election and transpose that context on these four
chapters because these four chapters are transitional regarding
God’s dispensational plan for the nation of Israel. Since we
must begin somewhere in these four chapters of Romans, let’s
begin with the first eleven verses of chapter eight.
"1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:1-11).
These eleven verses fall within the context of the doctrine of sanctification that began in Romans 6:1 and extends through Romans 8:39. They are teaching about the outcomes of salvation, not about requirements for salvation. These three chapters of Scripture detail the operations of the Spirit of God in and through the life of the believer beginning on the Day of Pentecost. Why is this important to understanding the doctrine of election? Understanding the context of Romans chapter eight as Paul’s conclusive teaching that began with positional sanctification in Christ in chapter six and moved into progressive or practical sanctification in the enabling of the indwelling Spirit in chapter seven, now moves to ultimate sanctification or glorification in Romans chapter eight. Therefore the predestination of Romans 8:29 is not referring to lost people elected by God and predestined to be saved. The predestination of Romans 8:29 is referring to saved people who become the elect of God “through faith” (Eph. 2:8-9) being predestined to glorification, or ultimate sanctification.
Progressive (practical) sanctification is the doctrine of spiritual growth measured by change towards conformity to the image of Christ. Being conformed is not defined by outward conformity, but by inward transformation supernaturally enabled by the indwelling Spirit of God (by grace) to obey the will of God that is revealed through the Word of God. Spiritual growth is measured on three fronts:
1. Head (intellectual knowledge)
2. Heart (emotional, passionate commitment to obedience “from
the heart”)
3. Feet (becoming doers of the Word and not hearers only)
We might outline the doctrine of sanctification (spiritual growth through the supernatural enabling of the indwelling Spirit of God) in Romans 6:1 through 8:39 as follows:
I. Answering the question, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound” (6:1-23)? Key verse is 6:3.
A. The responsibilities of the believer’s new
position in Christ regarding Sin (the Sin Nature; 6:1-23).
B. Three key words to practical sanctification:
1. Know
2. Reckon
3. Yield
II. Serving in the “newness of the spirit” and the problem of
the “flesh” (7:1-25). Key verse is 7:6.
III. The enabling grace of God in the indwelling Holy Spirit
fulfilling “the righteousness of the Law . . . in us” (Romans
8:1-39). Key verse is 8:2.
The one word that is critical to understanding the transition
from Romans chapter seven and the “therefore” in Romans 8:1 is
the word “now.” How quickly we read past words without really
seeing their enormous significance. This little word “now”
carries with it overwhelming theological significance for New
Covenant believers. This word takes us back to Romans 5:1-2, “1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2
By whom also
we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of
the glory of God.” There is “now no condemnation” in “this grace
wherein we stand.” This “now” is the New Genesis “in Christ
Jesus,” which is also the “grace wherein we stand.”
“Now” refers to the Dispensation of Grace (the Church Age).
“Now” that God is propitiated and the believer is saved “by
grace through faith,” justified, the “old man” has been
“crucified with Christ,” we have been baptized with the Spirit
of God into “the regeneration . . . in Christ Jesus” and, we
have been indwelled (sealed) by the Spirit of God, there is “now
no condemnation.”
Although the Law still condemns sin, it does not condemn
us and,
although we still possess an “evil” Sin Nature that greatly
hinders us from living to the glory of God, there is “now no
condemnation.” We will sin everyday. We will fail God everyday,
but there is “now no condemnation.” This statement brings us
into the theological depth of our position “in Christ” and the
basis of our future hope “in Christ” (Romans 8:11); “But if the
Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,
he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” The believer
is “now” predestined to this reality.
The doctrine of Grace is primarily pneumatological (Pneumatology
is the study of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit). All that the
Holy Spirit does is “good” (Rom. 8:28) and what He does cannot
be undone. Unlike Adam’s original creation, where God breathed
into him “the breath of life” (the Holy Spirit) and Adam “became
a living soul,” “now” the believer can never lose the Spirit
again and, therefore, the regenerated believer can never again
be separated from God (Rom. 8:31-39). “Now” the Spirit of God
has taken up permanent residence in the believer’s body; “for He
hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews
13:5b). In the Old Covenant, God’s presence was with the
believer. “Now” God’s presence is in the believer. “15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16
And I will pray the
Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may
abide with you for ever;
17
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth
him: but ye know him; for he {presently} dwelleth
with you, and
shall be {in the near future, referring to after Pentecost}
in
you” (John 14:15-17).
This statement of Hebrews 13:5b (“I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee”) refers specifically to God’s election of both
Israel and the Church “of the firstborn” (Hebrews 12:23). “Now,”
in the New Covenant “in Christ,” election takes on a
significantly fuller meaning. God had promised His continual
presence “with” Jacob and Israel. “10
And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11
And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all
night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of
that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that
place to sleep.
12
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on
the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the
angels of God ascending and descending on it.
13
And, behold,
the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham
thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest,
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
14
And thy seed shall
be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the
west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and
in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed.
15
And, behold,
I am with thee, and will keep thee in
all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into
this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done
that
which I have spoken to thee of” (Genesis 28:10-15). Jacob named the place where this event took place “Bethel,” the
house of God (Gen. 28:19). I doubt if Jacob ever imagined that
God would one day dwell in the human bodies of His redeemed.
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and
that the Spirit
of God dwelleth in you” (I Corinthians 3:16)? “19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost which is
in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your
own?
20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Corinthians
6:19-20).
What God had promised to Jacob (elect Israel in Jacob, Gen.
32:28), He would later promise to all the children of Israel.
“1
And Moses went and spake these words
unto all Israel.
2
And
he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this
day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said
unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
3
The LORD thy God,
he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations
from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he
shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
4
And the LORD
shall do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the
Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he destroyed.
5
And
the LORD shall give them up before your face, that ye may do
unto them according unto all the commandments which I have
commanded you.
6
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor
be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go
with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
7
And Moses
called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all
Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with
this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their
fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
8
And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with
thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not,
neither be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:1-8).
The word “now” reveals a major dispensational transition and
also refers to the complete deliverance belonging to the
believer “in Christ Jesus.” This deliverance goes beyond the
salvation of the soul from Hell. This deliverance also gives the
believer the indwelling Holy Spirit Who is able to deliver the
believer from the corrupting influence of his fallen nature
(“body of death”).
“24
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body
of this death?
25
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So
then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the
flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25).
Therefore, Romans 8:1 transitions to our ultimate sanctification
“in Christ Jesus,” i.e. our glorification (Rom. 8:30). The “no”
in the “no condemnation” phrase goes far beyond the condemnation
of our souls due to the fall. It also refers to the fact that
the corruption of our fallen natures, even though our fallen
natures continue to be part of who we are, they do not continue
to corrupt us in the eyes of God. God has been propitiated for
every sin our Sin Natures would ever produce inwardly or
outwardly (I John 2:2). The “born again” believer needs never
again look to the future in doubt or fear of condemnation.
Glorification is the next event on the horizon of our new
existence “in Christ Jesus.” The phrase “who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”
in Romans 8:1 appears to be a qualifying statement. There is
much glamour about whether or not these last few words in Romans
8:1 are actually in the Greek text. There is considerable
textual evidence that these words should be here and are in the
Greek text.1
The MSS evidence for the six words are: “2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,
we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3
And every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is
pure.
4
Whosoever {habitually} committeth sin {habitually} transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the
law.
5
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins;
and in him is no sin.
6
Whosoever abideth in him {habitually} sinneth {linear present active indicative} not: whosoever
{habitually} sinneth {linear present active articular
participle} hath not seen him, neither known him.
7
Little
children, let no man {habitually} deceive {present active
imperative} you: he that {habitually} doeth {present active
participle} righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous”
(I John 3:2-7).
Romans 8:2 begins with the first of four fors. Romans 8:2, 3, 5,
and 6 all begin with the Greek word gar (gar) translated
"for" on
each of these occasions. The word gar (gar), translated
for,
assigns a reason or explains a previous statement. Each use of
the word for in these four verses builds upon the previous
statement adding additional weight and explanation to the
original statement. The fact of “now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus” (“the regeneration”) is based upon
the reality of the two contrasting Laws spoken of in Romans 8:2. 1. “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (“the
regeneration”)
The word “law” in these two uses is from the Greek word nomos (nom'-os).
Both uses refer to governing principles. The overwhelming truth
of Romans 8:2 is that of the supremacy of “the law of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus” as the new Federal Head of “the
regeneration” as it abrogates “the law of sin and death” over
the “born again” believer, that believer is “now” completely
delivered from the cursed Adamic family of mankind. “The Law of
sin and death” is connected to the cursed Federal Headship of
Adam and all his descendents (Rom. 5:12). “The law of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus” completely disconnects the believer
from the cursed genealogy of Adam and connects the believer to
the genealogy of Christ through regeneration and the believer’s
future glorification. “51
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed,
52
In a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal
must put on immortality.
54
So when this corruptible shall have
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is
written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55
O death, where
is
thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56
The sting of death
is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57
But thanks
be to
God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know
that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians
15:51-58). “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” overrides and supersedes “the law of sin and death” in Adam. This is the spiritual and theological truth upon which the statement “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” is founded. It is a solid and “sure” foundation. “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal {see II Cor. 1:22; Eph, 1:3 and 4:30}, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (II Timothy 2:19).
The second “for” begins the statement of Romans 8:3-4 giving
additional explanation to the original statement of Romans 8:1.
The statement of Romans 8:3-4 is connected to the statement of
Romans 8:2 and expands upon that statement. The “law” of Romans
8:3 refers back to the “law of sin and death” in Romans 8:2. In
a broader sense, it refers to the weakness of the Mosaic Law to
deliver anyone from the weakness of “the flesh” (fallen man’s
carnal propensity for sin). All that the Mosaic Law could do was
condemn the sinner (Rom. 3:19-20). The Mosaic Law could never
empower or enable the fallen creature to obey its commandments
to the extent spiritual life could be produced in any way
similar to what “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus��
can do.
On the other hand, where the Law was weak and incapable, God’s
grace was strong and capable. “3b God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans
8:3b-4). God’s curse was upon the fallen nature of Adam, now
infected with the satanic seed of selfishness. That fallen
nature, and its satanic seed (“sin” in verse 3 above), were
passed on to all of Adam’s descendants (Rom. 5:12) seminally
through men. Christ Jesus was sent by God “in the likeness of
sinful flesh,” but without a Sin Nature. Jesus had no earthly
father and therefore did not possess a Sin Nature. Jesus was
born sinless and lived sinless throughout His life In the crucifixion of Christ, God
separated the Sin Nature from
the sinner and satisfied His wrath (He was propitiated; I John
2:2) by putting the curse upon the sinner’s Sin Nature upon His
sinless incarnated Son. Jesus completely and substitutionally
bore the eternal wrath of God upon the Sin Nature in His body at
Calvary and thereby propitiated God’s wrath upon sin. “21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow
his steps:
22
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his
mouth:
23
Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he
suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
24
Who his own self bare our sins in his
own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live
unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (I Peter
2:21-24). “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the
flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (I Peter 3:18). “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him” (II Corinthians
5:21).
II Corinthians 5:21 refers to practical God-kind righteousness
being supernaturally produced by the Spirit of God through the
life of the regenerated believer. Christ having been “made . . .
sin for us” opens the spiritual door for the Spirit of God to
indwell the believer. “Made” in II Corinthians 5:21 is from the
Greek word ginomai (ghin'-om-ahee). The idea is to become. I do
not believe this is referring to the imputation of righteousness
(or justification). I believe this goes beyond the imputation of
righteousness “in Christ” to the potential of practical God-kind
righteousness supernaturally produced through the believer’s
life by the indwelling Spirit of God. This is exactly what Paul
is saying in Romans 8:4; “That the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit.” This was never even a possibility prior to
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the Age of Grace. “Now . .
. in Christ Jesus” the fulfillment of “the righteousness of the
law” is a possibility in the regenerated believer’s life if that
believer will “walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
This, of course, refers back to what Paul has already said in
Romans 6:11-13.
The next “for” of Romans 8:5 connects to the previous statement
of Romans 8:4. The word “after” in both uses in the phrase “who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” refers to that
which is joined. How we “walk” (live) joins or unites us
practically to either of these two existences; the realm of the
“flesh” or the realm of the “Spirit” (the believer is positionally and eternally joined to the spiritual realm of
God’s existence the instant he is “born again”). The “flesh” and
the “Spirit” in Romans 8:4 refer to two different realms of
existence. The “flesh” refers to this temporal “under the Sun”
cursed existence of the Adamic original creation. The “Spirit”
refers to God’s eternal existence “in Christ” referring to “the
regeneration” or the New Creation “in Christ.” The intent here
is the difference of preoccupation practically in life between
the unregenerate and the regenerate person. The unregenerate
person is preoccupied with the pursuit of the physical and temporal things of this world. The believer is commanded to
completely separate his desires from the things of this world
because those things are merely temporal and unimportant. The
realm of the Adamic original creation is no longer the realm of
existence the believer is supposed to practically live within.
This should be an evident reality in a true believer’s life. The
believer that does not disconnect from the realm of the “flesh”
will continue to live in the realm of death of the original
creation and the Spirit of God will not enable that person to
produce God-kind righteousness (spirituality) through his life.
“15
Love not the world {the original fallen creation presently
under satanic dominion}, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not
in him.
16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world.
17
And the world passeth away, and
the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for
ever” (I John 2:15-17).
“They that are after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5; those “born again”
and practically living enabled by the indwelling Spirit of God)
will be preoccupied with “the things of the Spirit” (the eternal
things of “the regeneration”). If a regenerated person is being
progressively sanctified (separated unto God and service to God
by habitually yielding his will to the indwelling Spirit of
God), that reality will be evident by that individual becoming
more and more preoccupied with “the things of the Spirit.”
The word “minded” in Romans 8:6 is from the Greek word
phronema (fron'-ay-mah) referring to a mental inclination or the
direction in which one thinks. I have always said you fall in
the direction you lean. A mental inclination that leans towards
carnality to any degree is an inclination that leads to “death”
in producing any kind of spirituality. On the other hand, a
mental inclination that leans towards spirituality is an
inclination that leads to “life and peace” (“peace” refers to
unity with the Godhead). This does not seem to be too difficult
a choice. These are two radically different outcomes. It really
comes down to what we believe in. We will invest ourselves, our
lives, and our substance in the reality in which we believe.
As Romans 7:14 says, “the law is spiritual.” However, due to the
fallen state of mankind, no one can obey the law from the heart.
All people are by nature “carnally minded.” Even though we are positionally sanctified “in Christ,” that reality has not fully
delivered us from our fallen state of being “carnally minded.”
Practical (progressive) sanctification is the supernatural
working of the indwelling Spirit whereby He enables the yielded
believer to “be spiritually minded” resulting in God-kind
righteousness (spiritual “life and peace”) being produced
through the believer’s life.
This idea is expanded upon in Romans 8:7-8; “7 Because the
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in
the flesh cannot please God.” The word “enmity” is from the
Greek word echthra (ekh'-thrah). It refers to a hostility or
hatred. This describes every man’s attitude towards God and the
things of God apart from faith and the working of the Holy
Spirit. Yet, it even describes the attitude of the believer when
he is “carnally minded.” To live with a mental inclination
towards the things of this world in fact equates to hostility
and hatred towards God. Unless that “carnal mind” (the fallen
Sin Nature) is completely yielded to the indwelling Spirit, it
will never be “subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
be.”
The total submission of the believer’s will to the indwelling
Spirit is the first step towards practical sanctification and
“life and peace.” Those refusing (or failing) to yield their
wills to the indwelling Spirit are those referred to in Romans
8:8 as being “in the flesh” and not being able to “please God.”
The words “in the flesh” mean to live or think like an
unregenerate person being preoccupied with the things of the
Adamic, cursed original creation. It is absolutely impossible to
live or think carnally and still please God in anyway. Thinking
one can produce some kind of righteousness that is pleasing to
God through the power of “the flesh” (the “old man”) is in fact
carnal mindedness. That kind of thinking is equally sinful,
contrary, and hostile to Who and What God is, especially His
righteousness.
Romans 8:9 leads the believer into the reality of his new
existence “in Christ Jesus.” “But ye are not in the flesh, but
in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
This is a statement of fact regarding the believer’s new
position “in Christ Jesus.” The words “in the flesh” and “in the
Spirit” refer to two different mystical unions. “In the flesh”
refers to the mystical union of the dominion and Federal
Headship of Adam, the curse, and the fallen nature that comes
from the Fall. “In the Spirit” refers to the dominion (Lordship)
and new Federal Headship of Jesus Christ in “the regeneration”
wherein the believer becomes a “partaker of the divine Nature”
(II Peter 1:4) in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and baptism
with the Holy Spirit into the “body of Christ” (I Cor. 12:13;
i.e. “the regeneration”). The baptism with the Holy Spirit into
the “body of Christ” is an eternal union that can never be
changed. This is true of the indwelling of the Spirit of God as
well (Heb 13:5b). These two realities refer to an eternal and
mystical union with Christ in “the regeneration.” This connects
contextually to what Paul has already said in Romans 7:1-6. “1
Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
2
For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
3
So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
4
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
5
For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
6
But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:1-6).
As Romans 8:9 says, this is the believer’s new reality “if so be
that the Spirit of God dwell in you.” The word “if” makes a
shift in the focus regarding empirical evidences to the reality
of the “if” that this union with Christ has taken place. The
reality of this supernatural event (position) should manifest
itself in a radically different manner of living (practice). If
a professing believer does not possess the Spirit of God, “he is
none of His” (Christ’s).
Now, in Romans 8:10-11, the focus of the text transitions from
the believer possessing the indwelling Spirit to the
manifestation of that reality in the believer’s life when the
indwelling Spirit of God possesses the believer. “10
And if
Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the
Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11
But if the Spirit of
him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
“Now” (Rom. 8:1), in the New Covenant, this promise of God’s
presence with Israel is extended to the Church and it extends to
a much deeper level. “Now” God is in the believer and the New
Covenant believer’s body becomes the actual Temple of God. God
no longer merely lives with believers; “now” He lives
in them.
“There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are
in
Christ Jesus.” It is the indwelling of the Spirit of God that
unites the “born again” to “the regeneration . . . in Christ.”
This indwelling is the Seal of God that preserves the believer
in this new state of existence “in Christ.”
1. Textus Receptus [the King James Bible came from this Greek
Text]
2. Most other witnesses (The proof is that of over 5,336 MSS,
the majority agree with the King James reading of Romans 8:1.)
A few more MSS agreeing with the King James reading are:
1. Alexandrinus
2. Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis
3. Codex Athous Laurae
The following minuscules [lower case MSS]:
1. 81
2. 629
3. 2127
The following Old Latin MSS:
1. Demidovianus
2. Augiensis
3. Speculum
4. Bodleianus
5. Harleianus-Londiniensis
The following versions:
1. Vulgate
2. Syriac Peshitta
3. Gothic
4. Armenian
The following Church Fathers:
1. Victorinus - Rome
2. Ambrosiaster
3. Ephraem
4. Basil
5. Chrysostom
2. “The law of sin and death” (the condemnation or curse of the
first creation due to the Fall)